The 5 New Customers Trying to Reach You
And Why They Can’t….
What does a potential customer want, the first time they contact your business? It’s pretty simple. They want a knowledgeable person to listen, understand their problem, and propose a credible solution.
That’s it. The faster you can do that, the faster you can win the customer. But that’s not what happens.
Customers walk away with uncertainty. They don’t know if they reached the right person, if their problem was understood, or whether you can solve it. Let’s talk about the 5 new customers trying to reach you — and why they can’t.
Brandon Sends an Email
Our first customer persona is Brandon. He writes up his problem into an email, with pictures and attachments. And sends it to the email address on your website. Or types it into the contact form that’s on your website. Brandon clicks the “send” button.
Like every customer, Brandon wants to know that a knowledgeable person understood his problem and can solve it.
But that’s not what Brandon is feeling now. He knows it’s pretty common for emails to get eaten by a SPAM filter. For attachments to get lost in the mail. For that contact form or email address on your public website to go to a SPAM-box that rarely gets checked. Brandon doesn’t feel like he reached you.
Robert Leaves a Voicemail
Our second customer persona is Robert. He gets your phone number from Google Local, or from your website. He picks up his smartphone and calls it. But there’s a problem.
62% of phone calls to small businesses are not answered. Robert has to leave a voicemail. He gets a few seconds to try to explain his problem and give you a phone number to call back. He’s feeling uncertainty also — will he get a call back in 5 minutes? 5 hours? 5 days? Or never?
Robert probably won’t pick up the phone, when you call back. Most phone calls to individuals are not answered. Your call to Robert will look like a robocall, a telemarketer, or any other unknown caller. Robert doesn’t have your “real” phone number that you’re calling from, and can’t put you into his contacts. It’s a missed call in both directions.
Pat Calls And Someone Answers
Our third customer is Pat. Pat calls and someone does answer the phone.
If a business has someone answering the phone, it’s usually a call center answering service. Sure, it’s a human instead of a bot. But all they can do is take a message or book an appointment.
When Pat hangs up the phone, there’s almost a 0% change she’s reached a knowledgeable person who can understand her problem and propose a credible solution.
Susan Books an Appointment
Our fourth customer persona is Susan. She’s perfectly aware she won’t reach anyone that can help her on the first try. So she settles for second best — she makes an appointment by phone, or using one of the online calendar tools like Calendly or Acuity Scheduling.
Booking an appointment “works” in a way that calls and emails don’t. Susan knows she will get someone’s undivided attention to explain her problem and see if they offer a credible solution.
But appointments have some serious downsides.
It takes days to get in front of that expert who can understand your problem. Some problems can’t wait. Some customers find someone they can talk to sooner — and never show up for your appointment. Some customers ask a quick question in the first minute of a meeting — that makes it clear the whole meeting is a waste of time for both of you.
Susan’s likely to get her problem in front of a knowledgeable person — just not anytime soon.
Belle Wants to Text or Chat
Our last customer persona is Belle. She wants to buy today! But only if she can get what every customer wants: a knowledgeable person to listen, understand her problem, and offer a credible solution. She knows that calling by phone or emailing is not likely to work.
She’d love to text or video call you, but there’s no way to do that from your website. But you do have a chatbot, so she dives in.
Unfortunately, most business chatbots are just there to collect a phone number and email address, and route you to the right department — no better than the online forms they are replacing. A few will eventually get you a human — someone in a call center who can offer to book an appointment.
Belle was hoping that real-time messaging on your website would put her with an expert, so she can get answers and buy today. But instead, she’s leaving a message or waiting for an appointment — like everyone else.
Why Can’t New Customers Reach Businesses?
Every business has put barriers in place to stop the robocalls, email SPAM and telemarketers. That means sending unknown callers to voicemail. Having a public email address that seldom gets checked. Putting a chatbot between the customer and the real humans on their team.
That’s why customers can’t reach you.
But talk to any business owner — they haven’t solved the robocalls. They haven’t stopped the SPAM. They’re just dealing with those at the end of the day, hitting “delete” over and over on their voicemail and email. And occasionally — finding a customer message that should have gotten through right away.
Businesses and Customers Need a Clear Channel
There’s two ways to solve this problem. The first way is expensive: have well-trained, expert humans available when someone calls, emails or hits the chatbot on your website. In other words — paying a highly capable person to spend most of their time waiting, or fending off SPAM, robocalls and telemarketers.
The second way is to stop using the old channels that aren’t working, and invent new ones that bypass the bots and spammers.
Businesses have to stop sending customers to a phone number — because that mixes them in with the robocalls and telemarketers. Businesses have to stop sending customers to an email address — because that mixes them in with the SPAM and automated emails they receive by the hundreds.
Tech startups need to create channels where the customer can get in touch with a knowledgeable person at the business, quickly and directly. Not through the phone and email. Face to face in a video call today, not a Zoom meeting 3 days from now. Or sending a quick text or email and getting an immediate reply.
How Your Business Can Win
Your business can win, if you can be first to show the customer that you understand their problem and have a credible solution.
If your business can do that faster, you can win the customer. Almost every single time.
